Welcome to 2016-2017 School Year

Welcome to 3rd Grade!

Where we are wild about learning~Let the learning rumpus begin!

3rd grade is a year full of transitions. Students take on more responsibility for taking care of, and organizing, their materials and time. Students will show growth and maturity as they leave the primary grades and enter the intermediate grades. It is exciting to be a part of these changes.

Home/School folder

Your child will take this folder to and from school and home daily. This is where you will find homework and handouts from the school and community. Please take a minute and check it each day. Hopefully, this will prevent the dreaded pile of papers in the bottom of the backpack.

Birthdays

I do several things in the classroom to make birthdays special. Due to a variety of allergies: nuts, gluten, red dye, etc. please do not send birthday food treats to school. If you really want to send something, consider pencils, bookmarks, or stickers.

Snacks

Students may bring a quick and healthy snack to eat during our morning/afternoon break. Ideas: grapes, banana, carrots, crackers, cheese sticks, apple slices. Please do not send snacks with peanuts as we will sometimes be eating in the classroom.

Water Bottles

Standing in line at the drinking fountain can waste a lot of time. I encourage students to bring a water bottle to school. They should take the bottle home on Fridays to wash.

Homework

Your child works hard at school. I believe that children should have time to enjoy being a child, exercise, play, help with chores, and spend time with family. Newberg’s policy is that 3rd graders should have 30 minutes of homework a night.

I will be sending home more information about homework next week. Until then, please have your child read, read, read.

I look forward to an exciting year full of learning with your child!

Maureen Soumokil

Welcome to May!

Welcome to May!

Where we are wild about learning~Let the learning rumpus continue!

Wow! It is hard to believe, but these not-quite-3rd graders-at-the-beginning-of-the-year are now almost-4th graders. Students have continued learning new curricula while showing what they know during Smarter Balanced Assessments. Students have done a good job focusing and doing their best and parents have done a great job supporting them by ensuring they’ve gotten plenty of rest and a good breakfast. Thank you and keep up the good work! We have this week and next week of scheduled testing for our class. Students who are not finished will have the time to finish up as needed.

Homework

Students have done a good job of remembering their homework. This shows how they have grown as independent learners. Homework will continue in paper form, however if you wish to have the option of online MobyMax only homework please email me and I will set up a plan for your child.

Birds!

You may have noticed a new obsession with your child-a specific bird or just birds in general. The third grade unit on native (and introduced but now naturalized to the area) birds has begun. Each student has been given their own bird to research, write a report on, and then present to the class. We are truly becoming bird brains!

Upcoming events

We have one field trip scheduled this month.

May 19th-Jackson Bottom Wetlands Preserve. We have plenty of room for parent volunteers so please feel free to sign up or send me an email if you have returned the permission slip, but didn’t sign up to come along.

Water Bottles-Reminder

Standing in line at the drinking fountain can waste a lot of time. I encourage students to bring a water bottle to school. They should take the bottle home on Fridays to wash.

Have you noticed?

We have an amazing group of students in this class and we are continuing to learn alongside each other.

Dr. Seuss week...it's in the hat!

The class had a blast reading The Cat in the Hat and using it to build our cause and effect spotting skills! One color band was a cause and the other color was an effect. In the end we had a great hat to wear for the day.

March-in on with the learning...

Wow! So much has been learned in March. Students learned about weather and climate. In the pictures below the class shows off their work and their knowledge of the four main types of clouds (made with cotton balls).

Learning Fun!

February happenings.....

February was a busy month. It is so amazing to watch the growth of all my students. Our bulletin board featured math and writing.

Math: Our names helped us figure out area and perimeter.

Writing: We focused on the word Snowflake for our acrostic poem.

On the cusp of February…

   

Wild things are happening in the classroom:

I cannot believe we are almost through January, there has been so much learning going on in the classroom

• Students should be finishing up their multiplication fluency and be moving on to division. This might mean extra homework for some students. We are working toward a year-end goal of 3 seconds per mixed math fact for multiplication. Fluency is built by learning one set of facts (x1’s, x2’s, etc.) at a time and passing a one minute fluency assessment. By the time students have moved through all multiplication facts through times ten, they should be ready for a three minute timing of mixed multiplication facts. Once students have mastered multiplication, we move on to division.
• Please encourage your child to choose books that highly interest them and are at their reading level. If they want to read something above their level, this is a great opportunity to read with your child and help build their reading skills.
• MobyMax is available for use at home to fulfill math homework, reading homework, and writing homework.
• All The Right Type is also available and can count towards up to 15 minutes a night of spelling homework. I am looking forward to giving out typing “licenses” soon.
• Social studies has been all about maps, Oregon, and our community. Of course, we took a side trip to study about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
• When we wrap up our next unit on government in Social Studies we will move on to science!
• January’s book order is due this Friday the 22nd and should arrive by the first week of February. If you want to purchase a gift for your child the online Reading Club has February’s flyers up. If you purchase online or secretly from me and want it to be a gift, just let me know-I am more than happy to help keep your gift a secret.
• Next month’s order will be due Friday the 20th, but you can order online and let me know if you need it sooner.
• Friday January 29th there is no school, this is the day teachers get to spend grading and entering grades for report cards.
• We will begin MAP testing (last year it was called FAST) in the coming weeks. All I ask is that students try to be well rested, well nourished, and try their best.
• Speaking of trying your best, goal setting is a part of that effort. I am starting my action research for my Masters degree in Education and the focus is goal setting. Be prepared to hear a lot about goal setting and the goals your child has set. I have included a copy of the permission letter I sent home with your child. If you have any questions, please feel free to email (the easiest way to get me) or call the office to leave me a message to set up a time to talk. I am excited to start and cannot wait to see how the class grows and learns!

January 20, 2016

Antonia Crater Elementary School

203 W. Foothills Dr.

Newberg, OR 97132

Dear Parent/Guardian,

My name is Maureen Soumokil and I am your child’s teacher for the 2015-2016 school year. I have met some of you and look forward to working with you and your child during this semester. I am currently working on the completion of my Masters degree in Education at George Fox University. This letter is to inform you that I will be conducting an action research project in January and February of 2016. The central question that will drive my project is, “Do students who set goals have a high level of self-efficacy and is that linked to their achievement?”  Specifically, the focus of the research is to examine the connection between goal setting and self perceptions on learning achievement and actual achievement.  Goal setting is a common practice and will not lead to considerable change in the way that I teach. All necessary measures will be taken to ensure confidentiality and no student names will be put into print. As part of my data, I may be videotaping portions of the discussions to review. These will not be published as part of my research and all students will remain anonymous. Furthermore, my research chair and I will be the only people who will view the tapes.

I believe my research will benefit your child and I’m excited to see the outcome. I’d be happy to share my results with you. Please don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or concerns. Finally, if you do not want your child to be a part of this study, please notify me via email at the address below or return this letter with a comment at the bottom that you do not wish to have your child be a participant. Thank you for your time and support with this project.

Sincerely,

Maureen Soumokil

3^rd grade teacher, Antonia Crater Elementary

soumokilm@newberg.k12.or.us